Improvement in harvesters



UNITED STATES JOHN H. MANNY, OF ROOKFORD, ILLINOIS.

IIVIPROVEIVI ENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of. Letters Patent No. HZLOQG, dated January l, 1856.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JOHN H. MANNY, of Rock,- ford, in the county ot' Vinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Harvesting Grain and Grass, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part of the same, and in which* Figure l represents a plan of a harvestingmachine embracing my improvements. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 represents a sectional view, to show more particularly the construction of the swivel-joint of the wheel which supports the front Y of the machine.

' ing ground, or when the rakes happened to stand too far forward the weight of the machine would also preponderate too much in front. Vhen the machine was working up an inclined surface its weight would frequently preponderate so much in the rear of the axis ofthe driving-wheel as to lift the tongue, and thereby tend to choke the horses. To remedy these and other defects, I contrived a method of supporting the weight of the front of the machine and the greater part of the weight of the tongue by means of a swivel-wheel, for which contrivance I have applied for Letters Patent; but this arrangement I found defective, because in crossingfurrows or narrow depressions the swivel-wheel would descend suddenly and allow the cutter to run into the ground.

The object of my present invention and improvement is, among other things, to cure this defect; and it consists in constructing the tongue to which the horses are harnessed with a jointbetween the point at which the rear end of the tongue is connected to the machine and the front end of the tongue, this intermediatejoint being supported at the proper height by one or more wheels, and also provided with means of adjustment, whereby the turning upward ofthe front end ofthe tongue on this intermediate joint as a pivot is limited, while its turning downward to the ground js unrestricted, without affecting materially the height of the cutters ofthe machine. Further, this adjustment limits the lowering ot' the intermediate joint and of the cutters, but leaves them free to rise without affecting materially the height ofthe forward end ofthe tongue. From this construction of the tongue it follows that while the horses are in the main relieved from carrying on their necks the preponderating weight of the front of the machine, they are nevertheless enabled to support the front of the machine and to keep the cutter from running into the ground while the wheel that supports the joint of the tongue is crossing a furrow or other narrow depression in the ground generally smooth.

This machine in its general construction and arrangement is similar to that described in Letters Patent granted to me on the 17th day of October, 1854, antedated Julie l5, 1854, which Letters Patent have been since surrendered and reissued. It is therefore not here necessary to make a description in detail of the machine represented in the drawings with this improvement applied thereto,especially as this improvement is applicable to other machines.

This machine, as shown in the drawings, is fitted with a tongue consisting of two pieces, A and B, connected together by a joint, C, which is supported by a swivel-wheel, D. The rear end of the tongue is connected by a joint, E, to the main frame of the machine. From therear part, A, ofthe tongue a rigid arm, F, projects backward across the joint E to the main frame, to which it is connected by an adjustable fastening at its rear end, which fastening admits of this end ofthe arm being raised and lowered to raise and lower the cutter, and set in any position required to hold the cutter at the proper elevation. rIhe front end of the rear section, A, of the tongue projects across the hinge O, over the rear end of the front section, B, and the projecting end ot' the rear scction is fitted with an adjusting-screw, a, which passes through it and extends' toward a plate,

12,011 the rear end ot' the front section. By turning this screw to make its point project more or less the front section of the tongue will be allowed to rise a less or greater distance from the ground without lifting the forward end of the rear section, as thejoint G can only turn downward until thelower end of the adjusting-screw a comes in contact with the plate b.

In harnessing the horses to the front of the machine the forward end of the front section of the tongue is fastened up by the harness at the height mostconvenient for the horses,

' which will be higher from the ground for tall than for low horses.

The cutter is then set by lthe adjusting-arm F at the average height at n which it isinlended to work it, and theadjusting-screw a is turned until its lower end reaches the plate b on the tongue. The adjustment is now complete. Vith the front end of the tongue upheld by the harness and the joint thus adjusted it is plain that when the swivelwheel I) is crossing av furrow or other narrow depression, instead ot' droppingdown and causing the cutters to run into the ground, as would be done in case the tlexure of the joint were notlimited by the set'screw or otherequiv- What I claim as my invention, and desire to 't secure by Letters Patent., is

The tongue with an adjustable joint, construeted and operating substantially in the manner herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JOHN H. MANNY. In presence of- P. H. WATSON, A. E. H. JoHNsoN. 

